Evaporating apparatus.



No. 737,812. PATENTED SEPT.1, 1903.

W. O. ANDERSON. EVAPORATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20. 1903.

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PATENTED SEPT, 1, 1903.

W. C. ANDERSON.

BVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20. 1903.

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N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

A ORNEY.

m: uoRms PETERS cc. Pnoruumo, wAsmm-m'sn a c No. 737,812. g I Patented September 1,1903w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE' \VILLIAM C. ANDERSON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANDER- SON-BARNGROVER MFG. CO., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 737,812, dated September 1, 1903. Application filed January 20, 1903. Serial No. 139,757. (No model.)

To all who??? it y 0075067?! of heat, where they are eventually removed Be it known that I, WVILLIAM O. ANDERSON, after the drying is finished.

a citizen of the United States, residing at San As shown in the accompanying drawings,

Jose, county of Santa Clara, State of Califor- Ais a casing of such length that it will receive 5 nia, have invented an Improvement in Evapa plurality of drying-trays, such as are ordi 5 5 crating Apparatus; and I hereby declare the narily used for field-drying.

followingto be a full, clear, and exact de- The tunnel is here shown as rectangular scription of the same. in shape, and it has vertical partitions 2 ex- My invention relates to an apparatus which tending lengthwise from one end to the other.

[ is designed for evaporating, and is especially These partitions have longitudinal cleats pro- 60 applicable to the evaporation of fruits of all jecting into the tunnel, so that the trays may kinds. rest upon these cleats. The usual construc- It consists in the construction of a furnace tion is such as to allow each tunnel to receive and drying-tunnels disposed in independent a series of, say, ten trays in height, super- I longitudinal channels, each adapted to reposed one above the other and with sufficient 65 ceive a line of drying-trays, and in a means space between them to allow the heated air for regulating the application of heat, so that from the furnace to be passed through them. an approximately even division of the heat These spaces increase in height from the top maybe made and constantly directed through downward, so thatthe hot air rising to the each of the drying-tunnels. top' will enter the smallest passages and the 70 Referring to the accompanying drawings, cooler air nearer the bottom will find larger Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of passages. The tunnel may be of any suitable the apparatus. 7 Fig. 2 is an end view and or desired length. I have found that a very partial transverse section of same. Fig. 3 is suitable length is enough to receive three 2 5 a detail in perspective, partially broken away, trays eight feet in length, making about twen- 7 5 of the draft-chimney, showing the divisions ty-four feet for the whole length in addition thereof and the doors or dampers 15. to the hot-air inlet-space at the lower end.

In the drying of fruit many different forms The tunnel is inclined, as shown in the draw: of apparatus have been devised, and travelings, sufficiently so that the loaded trays can ing cars or carriers for trays and chambers be easily introduced at the upper end and 8o in which the trays have been placed and pushed along by hand as the drying promoved from one end to the other are well gresses. For convenience asuitable room, as known. A serious difficulty with drying at 4, serves for the introduction of the trays chambers or tunnels where trays are placed in at the upper ends of the tunnels, and hinge- 3 5 series or side by side is the difficulty in propdoors, as 5, close these ends after the trays 85 erly directing and controlling the heat, and have been introduced. These doors are prefthis often causes the heat to be arrested in erably hinged in series, one above another, one portion of the apparatus and remain comand each door controls a certain number of paratively dead, so that the moisture evaptrays, whichallows the remainder to continue orated from the fruit nearest the fire will be in operation while one set is temporarily 9o cooled, condensed, and deposited in the upper opened. At the discharge end is a stack or part of the tunnel, and the drying is arrested, draft-chimney 6, connecting with the top and so that the fruit will not be properly dried upper end of the tunnels, so that a draft is and in danger of subsequent spoiling. maintained from each tunnel through the 4; It is the object of my invention to so constack independent of the others. At the lower 95 struct an apparatus that I am enabled to keep end of the tunnels are hinged doors 5, also up a constant current of hot air through a disposed in series, so that the trays can be series of independent inclined tunnels, in removed from time to time into a suitable rewhich the fruit-trays are gradually moved ceiving-room after the drying has been comfrom the most distant end toward the source pleted, and only the compartment to be dis 10o charged is opened, the others continuing at work.

The furnace structure may be made of brick or other suitable material and it is located beneath the lower end of the drying-tunnels, extending entirely across from one side to the other.

The joists or roof of the tunnels have sufficient openings betweem them at the lower end to allow the heat to rise into the tunnels, and passing up through them, it enters the draft-chimney compartments, and thus produces independent currents in each. Each of the tunnels is sufficiently narrow to insure a volume of heated air being passed through them. Regulating doors or dampers 15 control the passage of the heat through either of the tunnels independently of the others. The trays are so disposed within the tunnels that the smallest passages for heat open above the uppermost trays, and the passages increase in size progressively downward, being largest at the bottom, as shown. This prevents the larger volume of heated air from rising to the top and equalizes the flow through all the series of trays from bottom'to top.

The heaters 8 may be of any suitable or desired construction. I have here shown them in the form of independent stoves, so placed that fuel may be introduced through doors in the brickwork of the separate inclosing chambers, as at 9, and the heating-drums 10 are here shown surmounting the primary heaters, so that a large volume of heat may be radiated into the chambers and caused to pass thence up into the tunnels.

16 are deflectors fixed in the upper part of the heating-chambers and acting to direct the heat rearwardly through the slits or openings into the rear of the tray-channels above. The radiators 10 are all connected with a draft pipe or flue 11, which extends transversely across the full width occupied by the parallel series of tunnels. Air is admitted into the heating chambers through inlet openingsmade in the front and lower part of the front. There are as many of these heat-radiators as there may be tunnels, so that an apparatus comprises a series of independent parallel tunnels and corresponding independent heating apparatus, all connected with a single escape-flue, as herein shown. I am enabled in this manner to control the distribution of the heated air and to prevent any checking in any one of the tunnel compartments, and I thus main casing having longitudinal vertical partitions by which it is subdivided into a series of parallel tunnels; inclined parallel cleats extending lengthwise of said tunnels and separated from each other to form spaces which increase in height from the top downward; aplurality of superposed trays mounted upon said cleats; a heating-chamberha'ving vertical subdivisions corresponding with those of the tunnels heaters located in said chambers; a draftchimney correspondingly subdivided andconnected with the upper end of the tunnels; and an independent damper for each subdivision of the chimney.

2. The combination in an evaporator of an inclined casing having vertical longitudinal partitions dividing it intoa plurality of tunnels, parallel longitudinal cleats, a series of trays in each tunnel, slidable upon the cleats and separated by spaces which gradually increase from the top downward, and with corresponding increasing heat-admission openings, doors by which the upper and lower ends of the tunnels are independently closed, a draftchimney having flues corresponding and connecting with the upper ends of the tunnels, independent dampers in said lines, a heatingchamber having vertical subdivisions corresponding with those of the tunnels, a heater located in each chamber, and a flue common to all the heaters connecting with the chimney or stack.

8. The combination in an evaporator of an inclined casing having parallel longitudinal channels with side cleats, and trays fitting and movable thereon, said tray series being separated by spaces gradually increasing from the top downward, and with correspondinglyincreasing heat-admission openings, heatingcompartments located beneath the lower end with openings therefrom to the tray-compartments, substantially as described.

4. The combination in an evaporator of a series of independent parallel inclined tunnels with side cleats increasingly separated from the top downward, trays slidable in line upon the the cleats to form continuous shelves and intermediate passages, said trays being disposed to form inlet-passages at the lower end, decreasing in size from the bottom to ward the top, heating-chambers located beneath, said lower end passages opening there from into the rear of the tunnels, and heatdeflecting plates, as described.

5. The combination in an evaporator of heating-chambers, a series of independent,

parallel, inclined tunnels above the chambers with side cleats and trays slidable thereon to form intermediate heat-passages increasing in width from the top downward, and disposed at the rear to admit gradually-decreasing volumes of heat from the bottom upward, and independent draft-fines connected with the discharge ends of the passages, said flues having dampers and hoods whereby the flow through the drying-passages is controllable.

6. The combination in an evaporator, of in- 10 tunnels, whereby sets of trays coincident with each set of doors may be manipulated independent of the others; and independent draftcontrolling mechanism for each tunnel.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

\VILLIAM C. ANDERSON.

Witnesses CHAS. A. SMITH, H. M. BAMGROVER. 

